Tim Corpus
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Dead Man’s Drink

This fall has been a busy mix of arts management for the Hyde Park Youth Symphony, Opera Festival of Chicago, and other climates as well as composing. I recently scored a new short film for the 48 Hour Film Project.

This project, directed by Jason Karynek, and produced by Max Hauser, had a creative script that I really enjoyed. These projects are always tough with the 48 hour time constraint, much like some of the Game Jams I’ve done in the past.

This project was a nice reunion with team members T.C. DeWitt and Kristen McCabe from the short film Cassie’s First Day.

For Dead Man’s Drink, I knew that time was going to be very restricted for me. In our production timeline, it was planned that I would have about 5 hours to write the music and get it synced up. So what I did was compose all of the themes and ideas from only the script in advance. It was a complicated situation, but T.C. DeWitt’s script was great, so I was able to surmise the look and feel of some of the scenes. Unfortunately – and this is always the way these things go – time was more crunched than expected and I had less time to work with. The team was great however, they came up with a terrific story that looked nice and I’m glad I got to write some music to help tell the story.

The Music

Below are some of the examples of sketches I put together for the film.

The story opens with an “old timey” detective flick playing on the TV, so I wrote a classical old orchestra motive and used a filter to cut off the low end and make it sound “older”. As the scene progresses you can imagine a slow fade out from the TV to reality showing the main character watching the TV in her living room. There was a bit of a science fiction element to the story, so I went with some ominous synth pads and a really simple melody. It’s almost a transitional sound, but when I wrote it I wasn’t sure how long it would take to zoom out from the TV to get to the “reality” scene.

Another important element was a jazz piece. This was supposed to be really simple with an obvious hook at the beginning, but then kind of fade away in the background. I stuck with a simple jazz trio.

The film will be coming out soon and I’ll be sure to share the full video once it’s released!

Tim Corpus is a composer with a genuine lyric impulse. He writes music that is at the same time challenging and appealing - which should be the ideal of any composer. He has a wonderful ear for sound and for shape. This is a composer with a real and important voice.

Henry Fogel Retired Dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and CEO/President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

...`{`Three Pieces for Five Timpani`}` is an outstanding addition to the literature for timpani and great for advanced recital programs.

George Frock Professor Emeritus, The University of Texas

Tim Corpus is a wonderfully skilled composer who has important things to say with his music. His debut album, Breath, is extremely impressive. Beautiful and exciting music to be sure!

Larry Alan Smith Composer

Tim Corpus' music is complex, original and steeped in tradition. His Three Pieces for Five Timpani is clearly an extension of the composers, such as Elliott Carter, that came before him. The pieces are challenging but fulfilling to learn and perform. Possibly the most important thing about Tim's timpani writing is that audiences will enjoy listening to his compositions. He is taking solo timpani writing to the next level.

Ed Harrison Timpanist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago

The melodic gestures in Tim Corpus' masterful piece for strings, ``Breath``, are paced so that a listener’s respiration pattern aligns itself instinctively with the slow and even pulse of the piece. Breath creates a powerful performer/listener symbiosis, a remarkable accomplishment on the part of the composer.

Steven Gryc Composer

Tim Corpus’s music is beautifully lyrical, nicely voiced and technically well-realized. In person, he is a pleasure to work with. We very much enjoyed recording his first two string quartets and hope to see more from him in the future.

Jen Leckie Violinist, Grant Street String Quartet

I recently had the pleasure of conducting the premiere of First Flight. It is artfully written, fresh, unique, and best of all – a beautiful piece of music! Tim is a major talent with big things in store for his future. It clearly deserves a permanent place in the repertoire of any serious wind ensemble. I can't wait to program it again!

Stephen Squires Conductor, Chicago College of Performing Arts Wind Ensemble

I have worked with Tim Corpus as a performer, composer and teacher. He brings passion and energy to his craft. He is a young lion who is making his mark on the Chicago music scene.

Kevin Miller Retired Band Director, Schaumburg High School

I've had the pleasure of knowing Tim for years now, and I learned very quickly that his passion and talent as a performer and composer are unquestioned. Everything he does is handled with a rare combination of intensity and care, and his works display such attributes. His lyricism in particular, along with his rich, beautiful harmonies and intricate polyphony set him apart from many of his colleagues. In a world littered with simple, non-intellectual music, Tim is breaking through and creating a new, exciting, accessible, and, most importantly, intelligent style of music that is imperative to the future of our art form.

Matt Bronstein Axiom Brass Quintet

Breath is very professionally produced, and the overall impression is of a lyrical and rhapsodic voice. I think Breath is a great starter, very ample and serene, even ecstatic. The second quartet is lively and engaging throughout.

Dr. Robert Carl Composer
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